Why this course?

Mechanical engineers are recognised for their knowledge and skills in conceiving, designing, implementing and operating devices, machines, engines and energy systems.

Graduates from the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering - which is consistently rated in the top 10 such departments in the UK - are part of a new breed of engineer who can take on challenges ranging from traditional industries to areas such as new materials, sustainable development and aerospace.

Studying Mechanical Engineering with Financial Management will help you develop an awareness of the financial aspects of engineering management, including raising capital in the bond markets to finance innovation in the engineering industry. Such awareness is highly sought-after and rewarded by employers.

Study abroad is an option for all our courses. The named degree (Mechanical Engineering with International Study) ensures that the international study experience is recognised in the title of the degree award.

What you’ll study

The majority of our students follow five-year MEng courses. All students experience the same learning pace in the first two years and BEng students can, and often do, transfer to the MEng programme.

Year 1

Students learn about the fundamental principles and concepts of the following topics:

maths

mechanics

dynamics

thermodynamics and fluid mechanics

electrical engineering

Engineering science content is integrated through the Design and Application classes. You'll also choose elective classes.

Year 2

You'll focus on the mainstream core of engineering subjects, together with Applied Mathematics and Information Technology. The Engineering Science element includes:

thermodynamics and fluid dynamics

dynamics and control

structural mechanics and materials

You may also choose elective modules, developing areas such as language skills or business management.

Year 3

Design is the central theme of studies in third-year. You'll undertake design exercises and supporting engineering science modules relevant to your degree. There's also the opportunity to spend some or all of Year 3 studying abroad on a compatible course.

Years 4 & 5

In your final years of study, you'll begin operating as a professional engineer, working closely with academic staff as mentors. You'll also complete an individual and group project, which are mandatory for professional accreditation.

MEng study broadens your horizons and deepens your understanding of specialist areas, such as aerodynamics, aero-propulsion systems and finance. Those who haven’t spent a year abroad in Year 3 may do so in Year 5, following a Masters equivalent course.

Other activities

A high proportion of our students participate in activities such as the Outdoor Management Skills course at Outward Bound Scotland, Formula Student, the national competition to build a formula student racing car, (at which Strathclyde is the top-performing Scottish university), the British Model Flying Association’s University Challenge, and ‘Gala,’ the annual employers’ networking dinner.

Accreditation

Accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as Chartered Engineer.

Course content

Year 1

Compulsory classes

Knowledge of mechanics is a fundamental tool for a mechanical engineer. This introductory class aims to investigate classical mechanics - force, motion, energy, work and momentum – from a conceptual viewpoint to understand how these are connected and how they can be applied, through formal problem solving, to real-world engineering.

Mechanical systems rely upon electrical and electronic circuits for many reasons: the delivery of drive power; sensing temperature, pressure etc.; the delivery of sensor data for condition monitoring, control and operation. This course covers how external data is acquired, conditioned and used and will equip students with an understanding of the basic theories underlying electronics.

Knowledge of thermodynamics, heat and fluid flow are important for the understanding and design of thermal and hydraulic systems involving energy conversion and transmission, such as engines and turbines, pumps and compressors, and associated pipework. This class introduces the basic concepts and applications of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, as a foundation for further studies.

The aim of this class is to place the essential elements of design at the heart of courses for mechanical engineering students. It shows how the disparate elements of engineering science may be brought together and used to create a safe, durable and cost-effective solution to a perceived engineering need. This course continues in later years.

This class introduces students to a range of experimental and laboratory related skills appropriate to mechanical engineering. This includes elements of laboratory and workshop safety including risk assessment. Students will gain familiarity with a range of hand tools and welding/joining procedures and develop an understanding of how to conduct experiments, record data, evaluate errors and write technical reports.

This module aims to give a basic introduction to some of the tools of engineering analysis used in the course through relevant application software in an engineering context. This module aims to teach the basic principles of programming and the solution of mathematical problems with numerical techniques in an engineering context. Specifically students will be introduced to the engineering numerical simulation software MATLAB, which is widely used in industry and research. This course continues in later years.

This class aims to review and extend the student’s basic understanding of the concepts and applications of mathematical functions, differentiation, complex numbers, vectors, integration and matrices. Specifically: the mathematical foundations of algebra and geometry, vector algebra, further studies in complex numbers and fundamental calculus including differentiation & integration. This topic continues into the second year of the course.

Elective classes

During the first year of the course students take at least 20 credits (out of a total of 120 credits) of elective classes from topics in modern languages, engineering, science, business, bioengineering and others (depending on timetable availability).

Year 2

Compulsory classes

The second year of engineering mechanics aims to develop the skills to analyse more advanced dynamics problems associated with solid bodies and simple mechanisms and introductory knowledge in new topics of structural analysis and basic stress analysis: static equilibrium, shear force and bending moment diagrams, beams in bending, shear and torsion and 2D stress and strain.

The aim of this class is to create awareness of, and develop some of the skills, expected in graduate professional engineers. These include development of communication skills, self-awareness and group working skills, professional conduct, ethics and the legal aspects of professional responsibility, engineering ethics and societal and contemporary issues.

Engineering students from non-electrical disciplines often require a working knowledge and appreciation of electrical power devices and their use. This class develops the theory underlying simple electrical circuit analysis, transformers and electrical motors, and seeks to develop an understanding of their application through example and laboratory work.

This class continues the study of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. The behaviour of fluids is an important aspect in the performance of engineering systems: the underlying physics of fluid flow and its application to simple systems is presented. Thermodynamics is the science that is devoted to understanding energy in all its forms and how energy changes form; the aim of is to supply the necessary analytical tools to study these changes when applied in engineering situations, in particular for transportation and power production.

This class develops a general approach to the solution of engineering problems and involves mathematical modelling, numerical methods and the application of computer software. A wide range of engineering topics is presented and includes problems in structures, dynamics, fluids and heat transfer to emphasise the general applicability of the solution processes with practical application using Mathcad.

The study of engineering design continues to develop understanding of the design process and effective design procedures. This module aims to cover two aspects of mechanical design. Firstly, to develop competency in mechanism design using the PTC Creo software suite including part creation, assembly and drawing creation competencies. Secondly, to develop competency in materials selection for engineering design, using the CES Selector software.

The class provides an introduction to finance and accounting, covering the basic concepts and practicalities of corporate finance, the principles of valuation, financial management and business investment, the role and purpose of company accounts and their usefulness, security analysis, risk and returns from investments, and personal finance. At all times the class content is linked with financial behaviour in the real world.

Year 3

Compulsory classes

This class is a continuation of the structures element of class 16232. Topics include: two-dimensional stress and strain; multi-axial elastic constitutive relations and yield criteria; general equations of elasticity leading to classic solutions for thick and thin cylindrical structures; further analysis of beams; energy methods of analysis; instability and buckling.

The first part of this class is a continuation of the dynamics element of class 16232 including principles of the kinematics of rigid bodies; equations of plane motion; angular momentum; vibration of mechanical systems with laboratory practice and demonstrations. The second part aims to introduce control theory and the modelling of linearized physical systems and design of feedback control systems.

This continuing class aims to introduce the theory and application of the two most widely used numerical methods in engineering analysis: Finite Element Analysis (Structural & stress analysis and the commercial FEA program ANSYS) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (Analysis of flow field; recirculation zones/stagnation points; boundary layers and an introduction to the commercial CFD program FLUENT).

This class builds on the students’ previous study of thermodynamics and heat transfer to cover: mixtures, psychrometry, exergy and its applications; conduction, convection and radiation in heat exchanger design. The study of the laws of conservation of mass, energy and momentum moves to a more advanced level and knowledge of fluid flow is extended to provide an appreciation of boundary layers and fluid flow in rotating machinery.

An introduction to the concept of the conscious pursuit of competitive advantage by engineering businesses is developed in this class. Following introductory lectures and case studies, students work in groups to analyse and prepare for presentation a selection of engineering business cases from a variety of sources, moderated by industrial mentors.

The study of engineering ethics helps students prepare for their professional lives and to develop widely applicable skills in communication, moral reasoning and reflection in order to engage with other aspects of the course such as group work and work placements. This class follows the approach outlined for the teaching of Engineering Ethics recommended by the Royal Academy of Engineering using case studies.

This class aims to provide students with experience in applying engineering science principles in a design context. An aim is to have students experience the application of knowledge, gained primarily from previous classes, to the initial stages of the design process including product design specification, concept generation and selection, and performance analysis of a candidate design solution.

Continuing Design 3A, the class aims to provide students with experience in manufacturing, testing and optimizing the performance of an engineering system. The class consists of a semester long build/test group exercise, the design stage having been completed in Design 3A. Assessment is based on an operational demonstration of their manufactured design to academic staff.

Year 4

Compulsory classes

Professional engineers need to have an awareness of the impact of engineering and technology on society. This class provides this awareness through case studies presented by senior representatives from industry, and visiting academics, from a spectrum of engineering industries to cover project management, technical sales, planning and industrial relations and more traditional topics.

This class continues class 16363 and aims to provide an appreciation of computer aided design, analysis and simulation methods over a range of engineering problems and to provide practical experience of the use of industry standard engineering simulation and analysis software to design and investigate the behaviour and performance of specific systems or components.

Engineers must be aware of the importance of materials selection in the design process. An introduction to the philosophy of materials selection in design is given. Consideration is given to the various classes of available engineering materials, with some background to the underlying factors that determine their general properties, providing an overview of their general or specific properties and an insight into their uses and selection criteria for design.

Students pursue an intensive research, development or design project under the supervision of a member of academic staff to produce a major dissertation and technical paper. The project maybe on an aerospace related topic but students can study a mainstream mechanical engineering topic. At the end of both semesters, panels of academic staff conduct oral examinations to assess student performance and the technical paper. The supervisor assesses the work separately.

The aims of this class are two-fold: to develop the students' ability to apply analytical techniques to the solution of engineering problems where dynamic behaviour is important and to provide practical experience in designing lightweight structures to ensure that they have sufficient strength and stiffness to prevent failure, particularly by buckling, when in service.

An understanding of heat, mass and momentum transfer processes is a basic requirement for practising engineers. This class aims to build upon the students' previous three year’s exposure to the basic energy transfer mechanisms of conduction, convection and radiation so that multi-dimensional, steady state and transient problems can be recognised and analysed.

This class introduces students to the assumptions and limitations that underlie state-of-the-art modelling methods to appraise the performance of buildings, their associated environmental control plant, and renewable energy technologies suitable for deployment at the urban scale using mathematical models for the underlying heat and mass transfer processes, along with numerical methods to form an integrated simulation program.

Year 5

Compulsory classes

The class aims to give students an authentic experience of managing and contributing to a complex group project and is a requirement of professional accreditation for a Master’s degree. It includes an opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the technical aspects of the project, in addition to demonstrating competence in project management, technical risk management and safety risk assessment.

The aim of this class is to give a broad understanding of accounting and finance and an appreciation of the role of these disciplines in an engineering context. To qualify for the award of the credits for this class, students must obtain 60 credits taken in the Department of Accounting and Finance, chosen with the approval of the Adviser of Studies. In addition to this requirement, each student must submit a dissertation on some aspect of engineering finance.

Optional classes

The promise claimed for new materials in engineering is most likely to be realised through the use of composites and ceramics. This class aims to give a basic understanding of modern composite materials and an appreciation of predictive modelling and design implications when composites are applied to engineering structures. The main composite manufacturing processes will be outlined.

This class aims to introduce the subject of industrial Pressurised Systems and ensure competency in the use of Standards and Design Codes. Pressurised Systems are inherently dangerous since they contain stored energy which must be carefully controlled. A methodology is set down whereby a range of pressurised components can be designed, manufactured, installed and operated to a high degree of safety.

The principles of propulsion systems for aircraft and rockets are covered. Throughout the class, the overall procedure and methodology for designing a propulsion device, starting from the aircraft concept and the associated engine requirements, through to the aero-thermal design of engine components is presented and discussed. Students will develop an understanding of the overall design process and the performance of aerospace propulsion systems.

This class adopts an analytical approach to dynamic problems which occur in conventional and modern machines with a view to developing good design and control practice and analytical skills. It covers mathematical preliminaries, out of balance and balancing of rotor-dynamic and reciprocating machines, 1&2 degree of freedom machines and high-dimensional machines such as autonomous underwater vehicles and spacecraft.

Condition monitoring and fault detection in structures and machinery plays an important part in the maintenance and protection of equipment, and has come to the fore since the recent advances in computer-based systems. This class provides an understanding of Condition Monitoring (CM) and its relevance to industry. Particular attention is paid to vibration-based health monitoring and signal (time series) analysis.

Mathematical modelling remains an important tool for engineers to understand complex phenomena and to predict the behaviour of complex systems. This class is designed to provide insights into generic problems in engineering science through ordinary differential equations. Examples include the use of bifurcation methods to understand buckling and the use of (singular) perturbation methods to understand boundary layers in fluid flow.

This class is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of spaceflight mechanics, including both orbit and attitude dynamics. The classic two-body problem is solved then used to investigate various modes of orbit transfer and attitude stabilisation for both spin- and 3-axis stabilised spacecraft. The various elements of the class will be brought together to illustrate the mission analysis and design process.

Complex fluid flow and heat transfer problems are central to many advanced fluid engineering systems often at the cutting-edge of modern engineering. These include human biological flows, multiphase flows, micro- and nano- scale flows. In all of these our physical understanding is limited, which limits our engineering design ability. This class gives students the opportunity to identify and explore a number of advanced topics in heat transfer and fluid flow.

This class is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of spaceflight systems. An overview of the complete spacecraft lifecycle from proposal, through delivery and operations is covered, along with the function and purpose of the spacecraft sub-system level components. The various elements of the class are brought together through the production of competitive proposals for a typical spaceflight system development program.

The object of the project is to expand and enlarge on work completed in the 4th year Individual Project, ME409, in order to carry out a feasibility study for the preparation of a full paper for submission to a refereed engineering journal.

The object of the project is to expand and enlarge on work completed in class ME409 to prepare a full paper for submission to a refereed engineering journal. This may involve further research and background study, further experimental and/or simulation work, more detailed analysis and discussion of results, or other activities, to be agreed by the individual supervisor.

Polymer and polymer composite materials have been increasingly used in modern engineering applications such as aerospace, automotive, construction, marine, oil and gas. This class aims to provide background knowledge of polymers and a basic understanding of modern polymer composites. The class is balanced between the study of science and engineering in order to prepare students for further advances in the field of polymer and polymer composites.

This module aims to introduce concepts in Engineering Plasticity in metals and their application to problems in Engineering Design and Structural Integrity Assessment. The course will introduce students to basic concepts in plastic deformation, including local and structural failure mechanisms, through one-dimensional analytical models. These will then be expanded to three dimensions, introducing stress and strain tensors and multi-axial yield criteria.

This class aims to provide an introduction to optimization techniques for continuous problems and to the approaches to the formulation and solution of optimization problems in engineering. Using a combination of lectures and project-based activities, students will develop an understanding of the overall design optimisation process and the performance of different optimisation algorithms, when applied to solve real engineering cases.

This advanced module covers techniques for the design of control laws for engineering systems. The material builds on the fundamentals learned previously on the systems modelling and analysis of open and closed loop control for engineering systems. This module emphases developing computer models for the simulation and analysis of linear control systems and the design of associated control laws. Advanced concepts such as non-linear systems and optimal control theory are introduced.

Assessment

Our assessment methods include:

written exams

coursework assignments

presentations

individual/group projects

The final award classification is normally based on inputs from first assessed attempt at compulsory and specified optional classes across all years, except Year 1, plus, if appropriate, an oral exam.

Learning & teaching

In the early stages, learning skills are developed through interactive teaching, problem solving and problem-based learning. In later years, students will take part in lectures, tutorials, web-based interactive learning, practical work and computer based learning. The emphasis on individual and group projects increases as our students’ skills develop.

Entry requirements

Minimum grades

Required subjects are indicated following minimum accepted grades.

Highers

AAAAB (Maths A, Physics A)

Advanced Highers

Maths and Physics recommended

A Levels

Year 1 entry

BBB (Maths, Physics)

Typical entry requirements: AAB

Year 2 entry

AAB (Maths, Physics)

Typical entry requirements: A*AA

International Baccalaureate

36 (Maths HL6, Physics HL6)

Additional information

deferred entry is not accepted

applicants likely to be made an offer are normally invited to visit the Department between December and March

Widening access

We want to increase opportunities for people from every background. Strathclyde selects our students based on merit, potential and the ability to benefit from the education we offer. We look for more than just your grades. We consider the circumstances of your education and will make lower offers to certain applicants as a result.

Upon successful completion, you will be able to progress to this degree course at the
University of Strathclyde.

Fees & funding

How much will my course cost?

All fees quoted are for full-time courses and per academic year unless stated otherwise.

Scotland/EU

2019/20: TBC

Rest of UK

2019/20: £9,250

Assuming no change in Rest of UK fees policy over the period, the total amount payable by undergraduate students will be capped. For students commencing study in 2017/18, this is capped at £27,750 (with the exception of the MPharm and Integrated Masters courses); MPharm students pay £9,250 for each of the four years. Students studying on Integrated Masters degree programmes pay an additional £9,250 for the Masters year with the exception of those undertaking a full-year industrial placement where a separate placement fee will apply.

International

2019/20 - £20,050

Faculty of Engineering Excellence Scholarship (FEES) for International Students

If you're applying for an undergraduate course you'll be eligible to apply for a Faculty of Engineering Excellence Scholarship offering up to £4,000 towards your tuition fees for your first year of study and an additional £1,500 for each subsequent year.

The scholarship is available for application to all self-funded, new international (non-EU) fee paying students holding an offer of study for an undergraduate programme in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. Please note you must have an offer of study for a full-time course at Strathclyde before applying.

You must start your full-time undergraduate programme at Strathclyde in the coming academic year (2019-20).

University preparation programme fees

International students can find out more about the costs and payments of studying a university preparation programme at the University of Strathclyde International Study Centre.

Additional fees

Course materials & costs

Textbooks and printed materials

circa £400 cost for duration of course

Study abroad

Studying abroad is possible in third or fifth years - but compulsory for International Study.

Students will require to pay costs for studying abroad, which will vary dependent on country of study.

How can I fund my studies?

Students from Scotland and the EU

If you're a Scottish or EU student, you may be able to apply to the Student Award Agency Scotland (SAAS) to have your tuition fees paid by the Scottish government. Scottish students may also be eligible for a bursary and loan to help cover living costs while at University.

Available scholarships

Careers

With skills including analytical, numeracy and problem solving, Mechanical Engineering graduates are suited to a wide range of career opportunities. Combing these studies with Financial Management further strengthens career prospects.

Recent graduates have been recruited into areas such as oil and gas, subsea, energy, building services and engineering consulting. Some of the graduates’ job titles include Mechanical Design Engineer, Trainee Driller, Project Engineer and Technical Services Engineer.

Graduates combining their studies with financial management have been recruited into energy and finance, with job titles including Energy Researcher and Graduate Engineer.

Some of our students have also continued to postgraduate study or research.

How much will I earn?

£27,000 is the average salary of our graduates six months after completing the course. The typical salary range is £25,000-£30,000.*

Contact us

Apply

How to apply – 10 things you need to know

All undergraduate applications are made through UCAS
Go to the UCAS website to apply – you can apply for up to five courses.

It costs £12 to apply for a course
The cost is £23 for two to five courses.

The deadline is 15 January each year
This is the application deadline for most courses. However, please check the details for your particular course. View a full list of UCAS key dates.

You might be asked to attend an interview
Most of our courses make offers based on the UCAS application. However some might ask you to attend an interview or for a portfolio of work. If this is the case, this will be stated in the prospectus entry requirements.

It’s possible to apply directly to Year 2
Depending on your qualifications, you might be able to apply directly to Year 2 - or even Year 3 - of a course. Speak to the named contact for your course if you want to discuss this.

There’s three types of decision

unconditional – you’ve already met our entry requirements

conditional – we’ll offer you a place if you meet certain conditions, usually based on your exams

unsuccessful – we’ve decided not to offer you a place

You need to contact UCAS to accept your offer Once you’ve decided which course you’d like to accept, you must let UCAS know. You don’t need to decide until you’ve received all offers. UCAS will give you a deadline you must respond by.

You’ll choose one as your firm choice. If the offer is unconditional or if you meet the conditions, this is the course you’ll study.

You’ll also have an insurance choice. This is a back-up option if you don’t meet the conditions of your first choice.

You don’t need to send us your exam results (Scotland, England & Wales)
If you’re studying in Scotland, England or Wales, we receive a copy of your Higher/Advanced Higher/A Level results directly from the awarding body.
However, if you are studying a different qualification, then please contact us to arrange to send your results directly.